FANTASY BASEBALL

{"playerId":1330,"percentChange":-1.1,"averageDraftPosition":209.9,"percentOwned":48.4,"playerRaterSEASON":2.6,"playerRater7DAY":1,"mostRecentNews":{"news":"Markakis is out of the lineup Sunday against the Phillies, Kevin McAlpin of 680 The Fan reports.","spin":"After connecting on his second homer of the season in Saturday's loss, Markakis will hit the bench for his first breather of the second half. The Braves will use Jonny Gomes a look in left field, but expect Markakis to resume patrolling the outfield during Monday's series opener against the Giants.","date":"Sun Aug 2"},"fullName":"Nick Markakis","seasonOutlook":{"outlook":"It was an eventful offseason for Markakis, as he signed a four-year contract with the Braves in December, then had surgery to repair a herniated disk in his neck that same month. The expectation is that the 31-year-old outfielder will be able to return to action this spring and will not miss any regular-season games, but it's a situation prospective fantasy owners will need to monitor closely. Markakis is going from one of the better lineups in baseball in Baltimore to a less-favorable field and one of the worse lineups in the game, particularly after the Braves traded Jason Heyward and Justin Upton for less-impactful pieces this offseason. He should hit atop Atlanta's lineup, but Markakis is on the wrong side of 30, lacks impact tools and is recovering from significant surgery. Markakis has had 700-plus plate appearances and hit above .270 in six of his last eight seasons, which is very impressive, but with significant decline in either area, he would lose most of his fantasy value, as the power and speed numbers simply won't be there.","seasonId":2015,"date":"Tue Feb 10"},"playerRater30DAY":2.5,"playerRater15DAY":1.4,"positionRank":54}